The goal of the San Diego Deliberation Network is to develop deeper exchanges between people in our community and policy makers. Together we are talking about complicated issues in nuanced ways, and participants at recent community conversations in the San Diego area have been positive about what it feels like to ‘be heard.’

The traditional way of ‘being heard’ in our democracy is through voting, but the statistics show those numbers are down—and one reason given is because people don’t feel like they know enough to vote, and don’t want to ‘vote stupid.’

The connection between deliberation and voting is what caused the League of Women Voters to be a founding member of the San Diego Deliberation Network. The League sees deliberation as a powerful way for people to become informed before voting. And, we’re finding that just as the quality of our dialogues improve when all people can participate, so it goes for elections, too. When unheard voices join the conversation and under-represented people vote, we all benefit.

To reach people who may not be in the habit of voting, the League has teamed up with Grammy winner Patty Griffin and her fellow singer/songwriters Sara Watkins and Anais Mitchell, masters of American folk and bluegrass music to promote a nationwide concert tour: Use Your Voice.

The goal is to connect with people across the country by focusing on the strength voters wield in all walks of life and convincing them of their potential for altering the course of history. One stop on this 38-city tour is in the San Diego area at 7:30 pm on Friday, April 1st at the California Center for the Arts in Escondido. Click here for concert details and musical clips.

Trio members told of what inspired them to do this tour. Anais Mitchell said, “You can tweet all you want, but you need to vote,” Miss Griffin said. “In my home county in Texas, only 8 percent of eligible voters came out the last time. This is not acceptable.”

The League of Women Voters conducts nonpartisan voter registration and education each year with the goal of empowering millions of voters to participate and ensure they have fair and equal access to the vote. U.S. League president Elisabeth MacNamara explains the purpose of the tour as "a way to help fans get the election information they need, whether it's how to update their voter registration, find easy-to-understand local candidate and voting information, or learn about getting involved in the League's work."

The April 1st concert is a rare San Diego opportunity to ‘hear’ from award-winning artists who make the “best-of” lists on NPR, Wall Street Journal, and the Guardian, and promote the idea of ‘being heard’ by under-represented voters.